Smoked Bourbon and Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Why this Salted Caramel Pie Recipe is Awesome AND Easy

In this recipe, you don’t need to make salted caramel from scratch, unless you really want to. I’ve got a really easy “Salted Caramel Hack” for you.

I purchase my Bourbon Infused Salted Caramel from Bourbon Barrel Foods – it is a gourmet touch to this pie because the salt in this caramel is smoked in bourbon barrel staves which adds yet another layer of bourbon flavor to this pie (in addition to the actual bourbon). You can also use this Caramel in your coffee and on ice cream- you will want to drizzle it on all the things! 

If you don’t have time to order Bourbon Barrel Foods Salted Caramel online, look for “Dulce De Leche” at your local grocery store. 

Note, I’m using the term “caramel” loosely here as I’m actually using Dulce De Leche, which is a cousin of caramel. Dulce De Leche is a popular heavenly concoction in Latin American Countries and is used by itself as well as in desserts like “Tres Leches”.

I live in South Florida and Dulce De Leche is a way of life around here and can easily be found at the grocery store.

The core difference between Dulce De Leche and Caramel is that Dulce De Leche is made from sweetened condensed milk whereas caramel is made from sugar and water.

If you can’t easily find a can of Dulce De Leche at your grocery store, don’t worry!  You can substitute an easier-to-find caramel sauce and use the same method of application below. If you want to make it from scratch, go for it! (The method is essentially putting a can of sweetened condensed milk in boiling water for a few hours…)

 Ingredients

• 2 (Organic) refrigerated Pie Crusts
• 5 cups sliced apples
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 dash each nutmeg, allspice, ginger
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 3 tbsp bourbon
• 4 tbsp Bourbon Barrel Foods Salted Caramel OR Dulce De Leche with 1 tsp sea salt added in
• 1 egg  and 2-3 tbsp water, combine to make an egg wash for the crust

Alternately, if you don’t have Bourbon Barrel Foods Salted Caramel, buy Dulce De Leche at your local grocery store (check in the Latin Section) and add sea salt. I like to use Smoked Maldon on this instance.

 Directions to Make Salted Caramel Apple Pie

1. Roughly peel the apples with a vegetable peeler to remove the majority of the peel (doesn’t have to be perfect), then chop them up and put them in a big bowl. Add the bourbon, spices, brown sugar and butter and stir to combine.
2. Next, let your refrigerated pie crusts slightly thaw and soften out of the refrigerator. I prefer to bake in 12″ cast iron skillet or a cast iron Pie pan for pies on my smoker, but a pie plate would work as well.
3. In a pot, add your apples, bourbon, butter and spices and combine on medium heat until the apples have begun to soften and the bourbon has reduced a bit and the butter has melted and everything has mixed together, no more than 10 -15 minutes on the stovetop.
4. On a pregreased skillet or pie pan, roll out the pie dough into the skillet trying to get the dough to roll up on the sides as far as possible.
5. Next, add your apple mixture onto the pie dough.
6. Pour the caramel into a heatproof pourable measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 15 seconds to help it soften. Pour the Caramel onto the pie mixture. Alternately, if using dulce de leche, add to a heat proof container, add the salt, stir, and then heat in the microwave to soften and pour into the pie mixture.
7. Take the other pie crust and put it on top of the pie and seal the edges. Cut a few slits to let the steam escape.
8. Combine an egg with a 2 tbsp of water and coat the pie crust with the egg wash
9. Set your Oven or your pellet smoker to 375 degrees, and let your pie bake for approximately 30 minutes OR until the crust has browned and the apple mixture will become bubbly. Watch the edges of the crust, if it is browning too quickly cover the edges with foil. It is normal for some of the pie juice to come up on the side of the crust, I believe this is due to the shape of the cast iron skillet.
10. When serving a slice, drizzle more dulce de caramel onto each piece for extra yumminess! If you want ice cream, I love this with vanilla gelato

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